1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an improvement in wheelchair structures and more particularly an incline climbing brake for wheelchairs in which each of the large wheels on a wheelchair is provided with a selective ratchet assembly which enables the wheels to rotate in only one direction thereby enabling a wheelchair occupant to safely maneuver a wheelchair in order to roll it up an incline in either a forward or rearward direction. The ratchet assembly includes a ratchet wheel non-rotatably secured to the wheelchair at the center of rotation of the wheel and manually operated direction controlling pawls engageable with the stationary ratchet wheel. Expandable arms mount the ratchet assembly from the rim of the large wheel of a wheelchair with the ratchet assembly enabling rotation of the wheel in one direction only with the pawls enabling reversal of the one-way direction of rotation of the large wheelchair wheel.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Various efforts have been made to provide structures to prevent wheelchairs from rolling down an incline due to the force of gravity in which ratchet devices are used. Also, various types of brakes and one-way clutches have been associated with wheelchairs to prevent a wheelchair from rolling down an incline. The following U.S. patents disclose structures which are relevant to the invention but do not disclose the structural arrangement disclosed in this application.
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